Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

McAllis Point on West Galveston Island has it all—algal flats to coastal prairie—making it important habitat for wildlife.

So, if this were not saved for conservation, then, it would be developed into housing, or commercial—it could be a combination of the two since it does have road frontage.

Linda Shead is with the Trust for Public Land, TPL. In cooperation with federal and state agencies, Congress, local governments, and the private sector, TPL completed the purchase of the first 60 acres of the 127 acres of this environmentally important parcel.

This particular piece of property—the sixty acres, and then the ultimate 127—will be owned by the County of Galveston. In terms of its long-term stewardship, they are looking into the idea of partnering with a non-profit organization that’s interested in doing stewardship.

While the land is permanently protected from dense development, it’s not off limits to the public.

You know, there could be a string of kayak launches on the backside of Galveston island. Bird blinds—that sort of thing. It’s really prime for being able to do that, and being a destination. And consequently, it can contribute to the economics of the island. It is particularly a birding Mecca. And this could be one of the major stops, on tours, that people do of Galveston Island to see birds.

Learn more about McAllis Point at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration Program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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CLICK HERE to find out about West Galveston Green Printing (it’s like a blueprint, but with the environment in mind).

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks NS Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Rapid development of West Galveston Island threatened McAllis Point, one of the few remaining large tracts of property available for conservation acquisition.

What we’re talking about is a total complex of nearly 300 acres; some of which is open water, but surrounded by marsh.

Linda Shead is with the Trust for Public Land, or TPL.

Our mission is to conserve land for people. So, we’re really about trying to get land that’s going to have high public benefit, and that usually means public access.

With help from Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, a pioneering relationship between TPL, the General Land Office and Permanent School Fund took shape. In addition, funding support from Congress, TP&W, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, the Galveston Bay Estuary Program, the TCEQ—local governments, and the private sector—brought nearly 2.6 million dollars to the table to complete phase one of the conservation plan: the purchase of sixty acres of this special wetland area for Galveston County.

It features almost every habitat that’s found on a barrier island like Galveston. So, it has algal flats, inter tidal marsh, brackish marsh, freshwater marsh, coastal prairie. So, it just really has that whole array of habitats, which provides greater wildlife benefit.

The TPL is currently raising funds to purchase the remaining 67 acres of McAllis Point.

That’s our show… with support from the Wildlife Restoration Program… providing funding for wetland conservation through the Private Lands Enhancement Program. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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CLICK HERE to see Design Options for a Nature Park at McAllis Point.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

During extended periods of drought, when the risk of wildfires is highest, your plant choices and their placement in the landscape could make your home vulnerable to fire damage.

While we do want to encourage the use of shrubs and brush around the home, we don’t want to encourage it right up against the home. Especially things that are extremely flammable…

Flammable plants include yaupon holly and cedar, among others. Marks Klym coordinates the Texas Wildscapes Program. With the Texas Forest Service’s FireWise program, Klym says the Wildscapes program helps people choose less fire friendly plants.

Something that’s got a higher water content. Things that don’t tend to take fire from the ground towards the roof, because the roof is a sensitive area in most homes. Things that don’t take fire from the ground up into your window frames, which is another very sensitive area. You want to avoid our tall native grasses, because they have a tendency to dry out and become a firebox. Certainly, the other thing you can do is use that area for your hardscapes. Things like rock walls…walkways. These become a good barrier that the firs has difficulty jumping, unless you’ve got forty mile an hour winds.

Find a link to the Texas FireWise website, at passporttotexas.org, as well as a list a plants to avoid planting around the foundation of your home, as well as plants that are better to plant around the home.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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FireWise Information:
http://www.firewise.org/usa/files/fwlistsz.pdf
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/natres/06302.html
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/wichitamountains/downloads.html
Firewise Plant-List_East Texas_Draft for Review_working.pdf

Recommended large hardwood trees:
• Black cherry
• Black gum
• Hackberry
• Honey locust
• Post Oak
• Shumard Oak
• Other Common Oaks
• Pecan
• Sweetgum
• Sycamore

Medium-sized trees could include:
• Western soapberry
• Common persimmon
• Dogwood
• Eastern redbud
• Fringe tree(Old Mans Beard)
• Hophornbeam
• Magnolia
• Ornamental maples
• Red maple
• Serviceberry
• Apple and crabapples
• Wild plum

Recommended shrubs are:
• American beautyberry
• Crapemyrtle
• Viburnums
• Elderberry
• Pyracantha
• Witch hazel
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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Rock gyms are a great place to start climbing, but they provide a different experience than climbing outside in a Texas State Park.

Robert Rice runs the Hueco Rock Ranch.

When you take it outside, you’re in the wilderness and you’ve got the scenery, the wildlife, the cultural resources, and dealing with uncontrollable elements like wind and rain and dirt and snakes and whatever else might come along.

Luckily, there is a rating system on climbs in the US that can help climbers find the right climb for them in the gym or on the rock no matter where they are in the country.

Climbing on ropes is on the Yosemite Decimal System and that defines that there are five classes of terrain. First class being like a sidewalk, second class maybe a set of stairs. Third class is the kind of outdoor hiking you would do in a nature environment. Fourth class is where you’re using your hands and feet. Fifth class is when the falls become so severe that you’d be injured or killed so you have to use a rope to make it safe. And then inside of that comes the decimal. 5.0 being the easiest and 5.15 being the most difficult.

For more information on climbs and maps complete in Texas State Parks, visit passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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CLICK HERE to view a video of Heuco Tanks State Historic Site.
Hueco Rock Ranch, http://www.huecorockranch.com [cut and paste URL into browser]

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

You’re not saving the world, you’re just enjoying yourself and enjoying nature and hopefully sharing it with others.

Robert Rice runs the Hueco Rock Ranch. Rice says that the joy of rock climbing comes from the challenge.

If you enjoy the personal challenge, try to go up the hardest, most beautiful, appealing line to you and get there that way. And that’s why we climb.

There are different ways to get out on the rock.

Within rock climbing, you’ve got traditional climbing which is placing gear in the rock that’s retrievable as you go up it. A newer variation of that, you’ve got sport climbing. Sport climbing is where they use some sort of a drill and they put an anchor into the wall and it has a hanger on the outside and you can clip your carabineers to it and then you clip your rope to it. And then an even newer discipline of the sport is bouldering. And that’s climbing the detached boulders or shorter faces or roofs that can be protected with what we call crash pads. That’s basically a four foot by four foot three inch thick foam pad and the other participants, the climbers, become spotters.

Texas state parks have some world class climbs. Hueco Tanks State Historic Site attracts climbers from all over the world. For maps and more information on where to climb in Texas State Parks, visit passporttotexas.org

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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CLICK HERE to watch a video of Heuco Tanks State Historic Site.

Find a clickable map to Hueco Tanks State Historic site: http://www.huecorockranch.com/. [cut and paste URL into browser]

Rock Climbing Hueco Tanks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download